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Sunday, 15 January 2012

NEED TO MAKE INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS MORE MEANINGFUL THAN ANNOUNCING ITS REDUNDANCY

In order to proclaim Indian Science
Congress Association as redundant will require accurately assessing its role in
historical perspective by setting certain parameters that, among others, may
principally rest on its indirect contributions to science.An academic analysis of the proceedings of
its scientific sessions including the inaugural addresses by various
luminaries, right from its birth to the just concluded 99th session
at Bhubaneshwar will help determine its true character.

Apart from the general impression in the
public about its being the largest congregation of Indian scientific community
in India, the true face lies hidden under the managerial politics that comes to
full play here. Most of its funding comes not from the individual contributors
from the sources of the ISCA but from public funds released happily and
ritually every year because most top science brass of the country is or has
been involved with it. Earlier it used to be a simple affair in which there
could be scope for a little serious deliberation but of late it has become an
expensive expose of science in India. Most scientific departments are asked to lavishly
display their ‘scientific and technological achievements’ through exhibits for
which the bills are footed by the scientific departments and Institutions
funded by Govt. of India. However, the ISCA is only a forum and the Science
Congress its public face held once a year. Without the work generated for
holding the Science Congress, we are not aware of any significant contributions
of the ISCA in the last 99 years. Moreover, there are various other logical and
meaningful forums at which the scientists can publish and display their work.
If it were only for a large scale exhibition of scientific and technological
work done in India meant to educate public and improve their understanding of
science there can hardly be any objection but spending large sums of money collected
from hard working Indian people for organizing a gathering or feast for the
‘scientists’ of the country in this ‘Kumbh’ is highly questionable. Not all
people that gather in this Kumbh are scientists but the crowd is made up of
journos, science writers, science administrators or managers, university
teachers and petty staff.

Most of the good work in various streams
of science in India can be glimpsed through the archives of various
Institutions and departments in India such as Indian National Science Academy
(INSA), Indian Institute of Science, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
and Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and many other that work
under the umbrella of Department of Science and Technology whereas parallel
bodies such as two Indian Academy of Sciences (Bangalore and Allahabad) already
exist as forums akin to ISCA for taking up similar job. One of these academies
at Bangalore has already been publishing Current
Science journal since 1932 in which the proceedings or other events and
addresses have been regularly covered/reported/published.. The old issues of
the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR), one of the oldest in the world,
provides excellent insight into the kind of need-based research that was
acclaimed highly relevant for improving the health of the people of India. Blaming
Indian scientists for not frequently publishing in Science or Nature, the
leading journals of the world of science, cannot a true assessment of the capabilities
of Indian scientists and form a view that they have failed to deliver. There
are so many complexities that need to be understood before we make derogatory
comments about our scientists or the status of science in India.

When the ISCA started representation
from the territory that India lost as a result of partition in 1947 used to be
there. But the division of the sub-continent robbed the ISCA of any
contributions from that side for over 64 years. In fact what we need to do now
is to take up propriety audit of the Indian Science Congress, particularly for
the 100th year of its unabated continuance, and move towards a more
meaningful and crisp scientific event rather than perpetuate the old style of
arranging a huge gathering that is difficult to manage. The ISCA should do some
real introspection about its past performance and make positive contributions
on similar lines as has been evidenced from the meaningful gathering of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). I remember having
listened to a comment by late Prof. Autar Singh Paintal, formerly Director
General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) saying that ‘he would like
to present his research findings before AAAS rather than the Royal Society of
London. Prof. Paintal, a renowned neuro-physiologist, was Fellow of the Royal
Society as well as member of the American Association of Physiologists. When I
asked why he preferred the first rather than the latter, he answered that it
was due to the presence of various Nobel laureates as well as leading
physiologists of the world at the gathering who could not only recognize his
contribution but also were capable to making valuable comments. Moreover, it
was the quality of science and scientists in US which had prompted him to make
such remark that could have annoyed the Royal Society. But he did not care. How
many of our present day scientists are such bold as he was or how many could
attain such remarkable level of research as Prof. Paintal. He also used to make
unsavory comments about the Indian Science Congress.

Given the
political milieu and the scientists becoming political scientists too, it looks
hard for the ISCA to go for an audit or a review that could curtail the size of
the gathering as well as huge expenses incurred every year on a non-productive
activity. The need of the hour is to make Indian Science Congress more meaningful
than announcing it redundant though it has been painful revelation that crores
of rupees were spent on organizing sessions of Indian Science Congress since
independence without good returns or comparable feedback. We expect our
scientists to be thrifty on the side of celebrations. Instead a pruned up academic
exercise may provide necessary impetus for growth of novel ideas and improve
work culture in our laboratories and their administrative Headquarters.
Moreover, we also couldn’t portray role-model scientists from the existing era,
except APJ Abdul Kalam, that could inspire young students and guides to
honestly dedicate themselves towards attaining excellence in R&D. How much
more we had to wait and how many times more the wail from the mouth of the PM
that India is slowly lagging behind in research from such countries as were far
behind us in not too distant past.

2 comments:

Thought provoking analysis! Its a beg annual mela each year in the name of Science...but of late the occasion is not taken sincerely and seriously even by most of the scientists here.There is often complaints of politics being played in electing sectional presidents.But despite all this this annual scientific Kumbha is instrumental in eliciting interests of younger generation towards science. And this is more important in times when there is an overall decline of interests of younger generation in science.

The ISCA should do some real introspection about its past performance and make positive contributions on similar lines as has been evidenced from the meaningful gathering of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).Apt analysis and good commentry on the ongoins .

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